The week in review
Most disturbing wanted poster: Albemarle police send out photos of two girls November 5 seeking to identify them because they were believed to be victims of assault. The children are identified and talk to detectives, according to police, who offer no further details.
Most suspensions: UVA football Coach Mike London indefinitely sidelines sophomore weakside linebacker Henry Coley, junior tight end Jeremiah Mathis, and senior fullback LoVante' Battle for unspecified violations October 29 with the Cavs on a 6-game losing streak going into the November 3 NC State contest (which UVA then won), the Cavalier Daily reports.
Most endangered: The Air Force has put the Junior ROTC program at Monticello High on the chopping block along with the nearly $100K in funds it provides if the cadets can't bolster enrollment to 100 by March, according to NBC29.
Most celebs in town: No, not connected with the Virginia Film Festival but while it was going on November 2, Sex and the City actress Cynthia Nixon drops in at Obama headquarters on the Downtown Mall with Sandra Fluke, the Georgetown University student who was vilified by Rush Limbaugh for wanting her health care insurance to cover contraceptives. Samantha Koon has the story in the Daily Progress.
Biggest investigation with least shocking results: The unwieldily named Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission gets a top-of-the-fold "Internal Probe exposes TJPDC" headline in the Progress with the less exciting news that it made a $500,000 math error and suffered "lack of leadership" in a story by Charlottesville Tomorrow's Brian Wheeler.
Latest in Lester v. Allied Concrete: The wrongful death suit for the 2007 death of Jessica Lester went to the Supreme Court of Virginia October 31 with both sides dissatisfied with Judge Edward Hogshire's rulings in the 2010 trial. Allied says there should have been a new trial after attorney Matt Murray allegedly told Lester to "clean up" Facebook photos of the plaintiff partying and then lied about the "stink bomb" email telling him to do so; widower Isaiah Lester argues the judge should not have sliced $4,127,000 from the $8,577,000 a jury awarded him, according to the Times Dispatch.
Longest sentence: Richmonder Chad Goins, 34, who was convicted of the June 2011 beating of a Louisa man nearly to death, gets a life sentence plus 40 years October 29, Reed Williams reports in the Times-Dispatch.
Worst dog story: Loretta Watkins, 40, is charged with two counts of animal cruelty after police find a German shepherd with its muzzle duct-taped shut and an emaciated poodle September 17 left in a Vine Street apartment with no food or water, NBC29 reports. The dogs since have been adopted from the SPCA; Watkins appears in court November 5.
Worst place to pass out: A train successfully screeches to a halt around 3:30am November 4 after the engineer sees a man lying unconscious near the tracks at Elliewood Avenue, the Daily Progress reports. The twenty-something was not struck by the train, appeared to have been drinking, and was taken to the hospital for unspecified treatment, say police.
Newest Montpelier prez: Former Monticello chief operating officer Kat Imhoff takes the helm of another president's home– James Madison's Orange abode. She succeeds Michael Quinn, who oversaw the stripping away of the DuPont era, which was completed in 2008.
Biggest alleged flasher: Anthony Quinn Basel, 27, of Ruckersville, is charged with indecent exposure after cruising Rugby Road October 30 in his pickup and calling a woman over, who saw that he was pant-less, according to the DP.
Biggest super PAC donor (still): Coal baron Richard Gilliam of Keswick retains his top Virginia check-writer status from August with $1.15 million, according to Virginia Public Access Project. That includes $750K to Karl Rove's American Crossroads and $250K to the Romney PAC Restore our Future.
Best news for movie lovers: The Virginia Film Festival may be over, but the Regal multiplex opens November 9.
1 comment
How does TJPDC Executive Director Stephen Williams make a $500,000 "math error" of a $1,000,000 grant? Does ANYONE make a "math error" of HALF of the total money??
This is incompetence personified.
His lack of people skills resulted in at least one known charge of inappropriate behavior brought against him to the TJPDC. The commission failed to discipline Williams, though Williams himself finally issued a written apology to the complanant for the transgression after first denying it happened outright.
The City, County, and UVA should have never accepted the HUD grant to begin with. It will be interesting to see how the lack of good management and oversight by the TJPDC may jeopardize elected officials' passage of the final plans.